Mail receiving and delivering apparatus.



C. P. GRANDFIELD. MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLED NOV. 2. 1914."

1 304,428. I Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

6727/65 P gin/@1220 c. P. 'GRANDFIELD.

MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2. 1914.

Patent-ed Nov. 14, v 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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CHARLES P. GRANDFIELD, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ncense.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, CHARLES P. GRAND- FIELD, a citizen. of the United States, residing at V'Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented a Mail Receiving and difi'erent places in the building where the mail is to be assorted according to carriers or routes.

In the handling of mail in those postoffices where the mail matter, transported in bags, is-received in large quantities for distribution, it is customary to deposit the bags from a delivery-beltor chute on toa stationary table from which 'conveyer-belts radiate to different places where assortment takes place, and of course if a number of conveyer-belts are employed the table muSt be large and the bags, labeled according to place for assortment, must be dragged across the table and dropped on to their respective conveyor-belts. This operation, under the present arrangement, requires the services of several men, and the work of handling the bags is not only laborious'but consumes time, inasmuch as themen must drag the heavy bags across the table and go back and forth between'the delivery belt and the conveyer-belts.

The object of my present invention is to provide a simple, effective and economical arrangement for facilitating the transfer of the bags of mail matter from the deliverybelt'or chute to the conveyer-belts,-to save time and labor, as well as expedite the work in such manner that a minimum number of men will be required to make the transfer." This is accomplished in the present instance by providing a revolving table on which the bags are deposited near one edge, and are carried thereby to the point where they may be pushed off on to the con- Specification of Letters Patent.

MAIL RECEIVIN G AND DELIVERING APPARATUS. I

Patented Nov, 14 1916.

Application filed November 2, 1914. Serial No. 869,924.

In the following description I have set forth the construction and operation of the preferredform of my improved mail re- I ceix ing and deliveringapparatus, and what I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters-Patent, is particularly set forth in the appended claims. i

In. the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof :Figure 1 is a plan view of a mail receiving and delivering apparatus, constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view,'on the line 22 of F ig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a modification, hereinafter referred to. v

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings. I In carrying out my invention I employ a circular table, as 5, preferably provided with a central opening, as 6, and at the inner edge of said table is a raised rail, 7, to prevent the bags or otherarticles deposited on the table from falling off. This table is mounted for rotation on suitable supports, in the present instance by means of grooved rollers 8, attached to the underside of the table and traveling on annular track-rails 9, carried on supporting-beams10, though of course other means may be employed, it being desirable merely to so support the said table that it may revolve easily and with a minimum amount of friction. For the purpose of turning or rotating the table it is provided. on its underside with an annular gearwheel 1 over suitable guide-rollers, as. 15, and provided with stationary side pieces 16, forming a trough in'connection with the traveling-belt. This delivery-belt or trough is intended to receive the bags'of mail transported to the post-ofiice by wagons or cars and deposit them on to the'table, and of' course leads from a suitable place where the bagsmay be transferred from the Wagons or cars. 7

Extending from different points below the outer edge of the table are conveyor-belts 17, leading to suitable places where the bags may be deposited for the assortment of the mail, said conveyer-belts also having stations arV side Pieces, as '18, to confine the bags thereon. The conveyer-belts preferably project a short distance under the outer edge of the table so that the bags may be dropped thereon. v

Between the conveyer-belts, at the outer edge of the table, are stationary guide-rails 19, to preventthe bags from falling ofi the table between said belts, and in order to 'acilitate the operation of transferringthe bags from the revolving table to the confveyer-belts horizontal rollers are disposed between the guide-rails 19 directly abovethe conveyer belts, the upper edges of the rollers being slightly above-the plane of the top of the table. These rollers are loosely'journaled and serve the purpose of relieving the bags of the turning movement of the table as soon as the weight of a bag is placed thereon, thus permitting the bags to be more easily slid from the table to the conveyer-belts.

As heretofore stated, the inner edge of the annular table is provided with a raised rail to prevent the bags'falling in to the central opening, and in order to provide a support against which the men may lean in shifting the difierent conveyor-belts are stationed in the bags from the table to the conveyer-belts I may, and preferably do, provide a stationary rail 21, surrounding the inner edge of the table on a plane approximating the upper edge ofthe aforesaid rail.

It will be understood, of course, that instead of employing endless belts for deliv-- .ering the bags to the table and for conveythe opening in the table upon the platform, 25, the latter being arranged with respect to the table so that the men can conveniently reach over said table and push the bags on to the conveyer-belts. As the bags are deposited from the delivery-belt on to there- 4 vdlving table they are carried by the latter around'in front of the conveyer-belts, and

' as a bag arrives opposite or above aconveyer-belt to which it is to be assigned the man in charge of this belt pushes it over the.

interposed roller on to said belt. It will be understood that each bag is suitably labeled to indicate the conveyer-belt it is to be de-' posited on, and in handling a very large number of mail-bags they are fed, continuously onto the table, which in practice revolvesat a speed corresponding with the speed of the delivery-belt. The speed of the table and delivery-belt may be regulated according to the ability of the men to distrib- 1,2o4,42s v To-divert or deflect a bag automatically on a to a conveyer-belt, I provide a guide plate or bar 22, which is hingedly supported at or near one edge 'of the table, for instance to one of the guide-rails 19 at the far side of each opening leading to the conveyer-belts; said guide-plate being adapted to be folded down and disposed at an angle to the direction of movement of the table, whereby to arrest the bag and guide it to the roller above the conveyer-belt, Of course the guide-plate cooperating with the last 'convey er-belt would in practice be'down in operative position so as to automatically deposit bags on to the same, but this one also should be hinged so that it could be swung up to permit a neglected bag to pass.

Though I have described my invention as especially adapted for the purpose of receiving and delivering or distributing bags of mail matter, it will be readily understood that it may be used also for distributing other articles; for instance it may be employed in large commercial houses for the purpose of distributing goods assigned to a house to different departments of the house.

' Having described my invention I claim:

1. In a receiving and delivering apparatus for mail-bags, &c., the combination, of a revolving table, a stationary platform adjacent thereto, a delivery-belt leading on to the table,- and conveyor-belts leading from below the table to places where the bags are to be delivered, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a receiving and delivering apparatusfor mail-bags, &c., the combination, of a revolving table having an opening at the center thereof, a platform'below the opening, a delivery-belt leading onto the table, and conveyer-belt's leading from below the outer edge of the tableto places where the bags are ,to be delivered, "for'the. purpose set 3. In a receiving and delivering apparatus for mail-bags,- &c.',-=tlie' combination, of a. revolving table, a platform adjacent thereto,

"a delivery-belt leading on to the table, conveyer-belts leading fromthe table below the edge thereof, and rollers supported above the conveyer-belt's at the edge of the table,

substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a receiving and delivering apparatus for mail-bags, &c., the combination of a circular revolving table having an opening at the, center thereof and a rail at the edge around the opening, a delivery-belt leading Mil @ on to the table, conveyer-belts extending between the conveyer-belts, and rollers befrom below the outeredge of the table, stationary rails at the outer edge of the table yond the edge of the table between the said rails, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a receiving and delivering apparatus for. mail-bags, &c. the combination, of a circular revolving table having an opening at the center thereof and a rail surrounding the opening, a platform below the opening in the table, and a stationary rail supported adjacent the inner edge of the table; to-

gether with a delivery-belt depositing on to the table,- and conveyer-belts leading from below the outer edge of'the table, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a receiving anddelivering appara tus for mail-bags, &c., the. combination, of a circular revolving table having an opening at the center thereof and a rail thereon surrounding the opening, a platform below the opening in the table, and a stationary rail supported adjacent the inner edge of the table, together with conveyer-belts lead- -pose set forth.

ing from below the outer edge of the table,

rails supported between the belts, and rollers j ournaled in said rails and located above the conveye'r-belts' at the outer edge of the table, substantially as shown and forthe pur- 7 In a receiving and delivering apparatus for mail-bags, &c.,. the combination, of av revolving circular table having an opening at the center and a rail surrounding the openingy'a platform below the opening in the table, conveyer-belts extending fromth'e outer edge of the table, and stationary rails supported between the conveyer-belts to projectabove theouter edge of the table and leave openings leading to said conveyerbelts, and guide-plates pivoted to the stationary rails at the far side of the aforesaid openings to be folded down on the table and deflect the bags -to the conveyerbelts, substantially as shown and described.

CHARLES P. GRANDFIELD. 

